A 17-year-old California boy appeared in juvenile court Wednesday as authorities investigated a shooting at a Spirit Halloween store that killed a pregnant woman and wounded six others.
FAIRFIELD, California — The 17-year-old accused of firing inside a crowded California Spirit Halloween store, killing a pregnant woman and injuring six people, made his first juvenile court appearance Wednesday as prosecutors sought to have him prosecuted as an adult.
At the hearing in Solano County Juvenile Court, prosecutors outlined their account of the Oct. 30 shooting, which unfolded as roughly 100 people, including children, shopped inside the store.
Prosecutors said the teenager did not go into the store planning to kill anyone, but he was carrying a semi-automatic firearm.
According to prosecutors, he was accompanied by a teenage girl when he saw an acquaintance waiting in the checkout line. They said that person was the teen’s intended target.
Bruce Flynn, chief deputy district attorney, said the teenager then opened fire inside the packed store.
Gunshots triggered chaos as shoppers screamed and ran for safety, Flynn said.
The alleged target and six other people were wounded. Constance Hages, 31, died in the shooting, officials said. Prosecutors said she was 13 weeks pregnant.
The Solano County District Attorney’s Office filed a juvenile court petition seeking two murder charges, three counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a semi-automatic weapon and multiple gun enhancements.
Flynn said the teen was already on probation for firing a gun into a vehicle occupied by teenagers at a high school last year.
Prosecutors are asking that the 17-year-old be tried as an adult, though a decision on that request will come later.
Flynn argued Wednesday that the teenager should remain detained, citing the severity of the allegations, his criminal history and the potential danger to the public.
The judge also ordered the teen to have no contact with several people. The District Attorney’s Office said most were victims, while another had been inside the store with him.
The teenager’s public defender asked for his release to a home placement. The judge instead ordered him to remain in a juvenile detention center.
